Individuals who experienced abuse by Catholic clergy have voiced fresh optimism following their first encounter with the new Pope at the Vatican.
The board president, who leads the anti-abuse organization, commented that the Pope's choice to meet with them so soon in his leadership spoke volumes about his dedication to tackling the issue.
Global Zero-Tolerance Policy Pushed
The organization is pushing for a global zero-tolerance policy that would permanently remove any clergy member who admits to or is proven of sexually abusing a minor. This policy has been implemented in the US.
The Pope acknowledged that there is "resistance in certain regions of the world" to this proposal, according to the representative.
"Everyone was practical when we recognized that there is pushback," they stated.
Legacy Challenge
The current pontiff, who took the role in May, has taken on this persistent problem that has plagued the Catholic Church for many years.
Earlier attempts to resolve the situation included an unprecedented summit on child abuse within the Church and changes to church laws to clearly outlaw abuse.
Deeply Felt Link
For Hickey, who uses they/them pronouns, the campaign for global implementation of the measure is personal. The North American advocate revealed they were abused by a priest who was subsequently transferred between various churches.
"Hopefully this will establish the direction for his papacy, because we want to work with him," Hickey stated. "We have the same goal, we seek to end abuse by religious officials."
Historic Encounter
Seven members of the coalition, which represents victims and advocates from over thirty nations, engaged with the Pope in his official residence.
The discussion, originally scheduled for 20 minutes, extended to a sixty minutes, during which the religious leader "primarily heard to us," according to Hickey.
The Pope was characterized as "very understanding" when listening to the account of a female survivor victimized at a church-run institution for Indigenous children in Canada.
Hickey noted the leader was "compassionate" about their own experience and appeared "modest, humorous, and approachable."
"Survivors have consistently sought a voice in discussions and I didn't feel like he was making empty promises," they stated. "I believed like he was genuine, practical, and very open and keen to collaborate with us."
Church Regulations Reforms
The group is advocating that revisions to church regulations will enable the adoption of the zero-tolerance policy globally.
They have spoken with specialists and gathered materials that they will present to the pontiff.
"He appeared engaged in reviewing it," they remarked.
Responsibility Emphasized
A recent Vatican-commissioned document emphasized the "necessity of a streamlined protocol for the resignation and/or dismissal of Church leaders or staff in cases of misconduct or negligence."
The document also noted that survivors repeatedly stressed the "urgent need for church leaders and senior officials to be held accountable for negligence and concealment."
Moving Forward
Hickey shared they informed the Pope at the beginning of their discussion: "This represents as much a risk for him to engage in a conversation as it was for us."
After the meeting, they expressed optimism for future change.
"We understand it's not something that's going to happen overnight, but at the conclusion, uniting and establishing a connection and persisting to build that bond is a step in the right direction," Hickey stated.
Hickey concluded that they told with the pontiff: "Just because it's a difficult period, I believe like we can change how the narrative ends - he valued that."
